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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23176582">A Perfect Gift</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair'>Aria_Lerendeair</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane Birthday Bash 2019 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adorable Alec Lightwood, Alec is damn good at gifting, Fluff, M/M, Shadowhunter Culture, christmas gifts, cuteness, sap, sappy boyfriends</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:54:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,438</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23176582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What DOES one get an Immortal Warlock who can get himself anything that he wants for a Christmas present?  Alec's surprised when the answer comes from a mundane magazine.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane Birthday Bash 2019 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1666054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>400</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Perfect Gift</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt by Anonymous for the Magnus Bane Birthday Bash: Wow it seems it was yesterday when you were posting ficlets for Alec's birthday. Time flies @_@ And just because I have no shame (and because I'll probably forget this idea later), here goes a silly prompt: Alec finds these mundane magazines Clary and Izzy have and see an article about zodiac signs, and realizes Magnus' is the one with a bow and quiver. He knows it's silly, but he feels proud and decides to give Magnus the first arrow he ever shot as a gift to always protect him.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>
Alec sighed and flopped over his desk, mumbling into his pile of paperwork.  What the hell was he supposed to get Magnus for Christmas?  Other than the obvious gift that he had already purchased and planned and based on the dark look in Magnus’ eyes, he knew exactly what it was.  </p><p><br/>
But he did want other things for Magnus to open, something that <em>meant</em> something.  Something like the omamori charm that Magnus always kept safe on his person.  Alec huffed.  Not that he had any idea for how in the hell he could even begin to pull that off.  </p><p><br/>
Maybe he just needed to talk to Izzy and she could give him a few ideas.  </p><p><br/>
Alec pushed himself upright and headed for Izzy’s room, since it wasn’t quite time for her to start her shift yet.  Heading into her room, he knocked on the door, glad when she called for him to enter.  He found her sitting at her vanity, carefully applying her eyeliner.  </p><p><br/>
“Izzy.”  </p><p><br/>
“Sit, I know you’re panicking over gifts for Magnus!” Izzy ordered.  She stretched and reached back, pulling her hair up into a messy bun.  </p><p><br/>
Alec huffed.  “I’m not panicking.”  </p><p><br/>
“You absolutely are.  Here, look at those magazines and I’ll help you in a second while I get changed,” Isabelle ordered, waving to the stack beside Alec on the bed.  “See if anything piques your interest.”  </p><p><br/>
“I’m not going to find anything for Magnus in mundane magazines,” Alec scoffed, picking one of them up regardless to have something to do with his hands.  He flipped it open and frowned at the twelve different boxes he saw.  He skimmed through the date ranges and found the one for Magnus’ birthday and smiled faintly at the description.  That was definitely Magnus.  </p><p><br/>
He looked at the symbol next to the description and blinked.  A bow and arrow?  Magnus’ birthday was symbolized by a bow and arrow?  Alec reached down and traced his fingers over it.  An idea struck and he sucked in a frantic breath and he dropped the magazine.  </p><p><br/>
“Thanks Izzy!” he shouted towards the bathroom, not waiting to hear her response before he was out the door and heading towards his bedroom.  It took a few minutes of digging through one of his old trunks before he found it.  Alec traced his fingers along the shaft and over the now-stiff fletching.  Hopefully Magnus would understand.  </p><p><br/>
~!~ </p><p><br/>
Alec fidgeted as he held the slim box in his hands, looking down at it for the hundredth time.  It felt a little silly now, to have wrapped something like this to give.  But hopefully Magnus didn’t think it was too silly.  He took a deep breath.  It was fine.  It <em>was</em>.  </p><p><br/>
“Alexander?” </p><p><br/>
Alec straightened his spine and turned to Magnus, smiling widely at the sight of him walking in from the balcony in loose clothing, clearly relaxing properly, with a glass of wine in his hand.  His breath caught and he tightened his hands around the box, second guessing his idea for the hundredth time.  </p><p><br/>
“You’re home early,” Magnus teased, stepping up close to Alec, turning his face up for a kiss, humming at the soft press of their lips together.  “And wound tighter than a slinky.  Are you all right, darling?”  </p><p><br/>
“I have a present for you,” Alec blurted, looking down at the box.  </p><p><br/>
Magnus blinked in surprise and dropped his eyes to the box wrapped in blue paper from Alexander.  “You already got me something quite wonderful for the holidays, Alexander, you didn’t need to get me anything else.”  </p><p><br/>
“This is…” Alec swallowed hard, tightening his fingers around it before pushing it towards Magnus.  “It just…it felt <em>right</em>.  To, to give to you.”  </p><p><br/>
Magnus smiled faintly, taking the box from Alexander, then tugging him down and into a soft kiss, tangling his fingers into the soft hair at the nape of Alec’s neck.  “I’m sure that I’m going to love it, whatever it is.”  </p><p><br/>
Alec swallowed and flushed, making a gesture for him to go ahead and open it. “It, I got the idea from, from one of Izzy’s magazines.  They said, they said your birthday was represented by a bow and quiver.”  </p><p><br/>
“Oh!” Magnus grinned, carefully undoing the ribbon on the paper.  “My astrological sign?  It’s called Sagittarius.  I’ll point it out to you next time we go stargazing.”  </p><p><br/>
“Yeah, I thought, you know.  It was fitting,” he said, gesturing to the package.  </p><p><br/>
Inside the beautiful blue wrapping paper was a long, thin, black box.  Magnus flipped it open and trailed his fingers over the arrow slowly, reverently, before looking up at Alec.  </p><p><br/>
“It’s the first arrow I shot after I picked the bow as my chosen weapon.  There’s, there’s a whole ceremony, and, and you’re supposed to keep it,” Alec managed.  </p><p><br/>
Magnus’ eyes widened and he looked back down at the arrow, carefully pulling it out of the cushioned velvet.  “You want me to have it?” </p><p><br/>
“I do,” Alec said, taking a deep breath.  “It’s runed with every single relevant rune for archery.  To always fly straight, and true, to hit the target, to protect others because it’s not a front line weapon, and…” </p><p><br/>
“Alexander…” </p><p><br/>
“I just,” Alec swallowed again.  “I want you to have it.  Because, because you’ve taken that arrow’s place.”  </p><p><br/>
Magnus felt his heart stutter and the glamour drop in a heartstopping handful of seconds.  “Wh-what?”  </p><p><br/>
Alec met his eyes and reached out, wrapping his hands around Magnus’ where he was holding the arrow.  “You are my reminder to always do the right thing.  To set the right course, not only the straight one.  To be true to myself, not who I am expected to be.  To reach heights I never thought I would.”  He leaned in and pressed his forehead to Magnus’.  “To protect not just others, but myself, now that I have someone who wants and needs me to come home.”  </p><p><br/>
Magnus glanced down at their hands and then back up at Alexander.  </p><p><br/>
Alec smiled at him.  “Hopefully that’s not too weird?”  </p><p><br/>
“I…” Magnus huffed out a small laugh, shaking his head.  “Look at you, I can’t even think straight.”  He smiled back up at Alec and kissed him, soft and gentle.  “This is one of the most incredible gifts I’ve ever been given, Alexander.  Thank you.” </p><p><br/>
Alec relaxed and kissed Magnus again.  “I didn’t know what to get you, and I thought this might be, you know.  A good choice.”  </p><p><br/>
“Well,” Magnus said, a smile starting.  “I seem to remember you getting me a perfectly <em>excellent</em> present that I quite enjoyed unwrapping and savoring.”  </p><p><br/>
Alec flushed and gave Magnus a Look.  “That doesn’t count.”  </p><p><br/>
“Of course it does,” Magnus said with a laugh.  “But apparently I have a boyfriend who wants to spoil me.”  </p><p><br/>
Alec grinned a bit and nodded, tugging Magnus closer.  “I’ll always spoil you if you let me.”  </p><p><br/>
“Flatterer,” Magnus teased, running his fingers along the shaft of the arrow and he pulled back a little, looking down at it.  An idea flickered at the edge of his mind and he looked up at Alexander.  “Do you trust me?”  </p><p><br/>
“Always,” Alec said, tilting his head.  </p><p><br/>
Magnus leaned down and blew on the arrow, letting his magic wrap around it to change the shape.  A silver necklace with an arrow attached to it at both ends rested in his palm.  He cleared his throat and looked up at Alec.  “I want to always carry it with me.  But it’s a little impractical to carry around an arrow.”  </p><p><br/>
Alec reached out and traced his fingers over the necklace in Magnus’ palm.  “You condensed it?”  </p><p><br/>
Magnus nodded watching Alec pick it up.  </p><p><br/>
Alec smiled, his fingers going to the clasp.  “Turn around,” he said, waiting for Magnus to obey before he carefully looped the necklace around Magnus’ neck, attaching the latch with a soft click.  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to it, his hands going to Magnus’ shoulders as he turned around, staring at the arrowhead resting just below Magnus’ collarbone. </p><p><br/>
Magnus reached up and touched it gently, smiling at Alexander.  “Perfect.”  </p><p><br/>
Alec grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to the bow and arrow, watching it shimmer against Magnus’ skin.  “It will keep you safe.”  </p><p><br/>
Magnus reached up and cupped Alec’s cheeks in his hands, pulling him in for another kiss.  “It’s perfect.  You’re perfect, my wonderful Alexander.”  </p><p><br/>
“You’re the perfect one,” Alec corrected, tugging Magnus in closer, deepening the kiss, a small noise escaping the both of them as they started to shuffle back towards the bedroom.  “And you’re keeping it on.” </p><p><br/>
“Mmm, I like that idea,” Magnus purred, letting Alec lead the way.  </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments and Criticisms welcome!</p><p>Come join a Multifandom Discord Server -<br/><a href="https://discord.gg/82pvdE39fD">The Fandom Playhouse!</a></p><p>You can find me here:<br/><a href="http://arialerendeair.tumblr.com/">AriaLerendeair</a></p><p>And on twitter over here:<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/Aria_Lerendeair">Aria_Lerendeair</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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